UNDERSTANDING THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACE ON OLDER ADULTS’ FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract Little is known about how public open space (POS) environment quality and vitality influence older adults’ functional ability and mental health over time. POS vitality refers to the capacity of POS to accommodate a variety of users and activities. We undertook a four-year longitudinal survey of 2081 older adults in Hong Kong to investigate longitudinal relationships between POS environment quality, POS vitality, functional ability and mental health. We applied environment quality evaluation and space use behavior observation to collect data on the environment quality and vitality of POSs within the 200-m buffer area of participants’ residences. POS environment quality attributes included the number of leisure facility types, accessibility, shade, and bench quality. POS vitality attributes comprised the diversity of users and activities. We used the Chinese Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale to measure older adults’ functional ability and the Geriatric Depression Scale (15-item) to evaluate mental health. We applied latent growth curve models to analyze the longitudinal associations. Accessibility to POS and social interactions among users in POS were related to better functional ability and mental health among older adults at baseline. The number of leisure facility types, and social interactions among users in POS led to a slower decline in functional ability over time. However, there were no significant associations between POS and mental health over time. These findings have theoretical implications for the healthy aging research framework and practical insights for planning policies using POS as an intervention tool to facilitate older adults’ healthy aging.

There has been increasingly more interest in using GIS/ GPS methodologies in healthy aging research, but insufficient consideration of the latest developments in this area.This symposium showcases recent studies using GIS/GPS methodologies to measure outdoor mobility and environmental context across different countries, including one long-term longitudinal study and three micro-longitudinal studies.Specifically, Lum and colleagues examine a four-year survey from over 2,000 older adults in Hong Kong.They show that public open space (including its accessibility, its number of leisure facility types, and social interactions happened therein) was not only associated with functional ability crosssectionally, but also with the decline of functional ability over time.Perchoux and colleagues collect seven days data from 471 older adults in Luxembourg.They show that built environments (such as higher street connectivity and lower density of parking lots) were associated with lower total sedentary time.Luo and colleagues examine data from a 15-day study with 109 older adults in Switzerland.They show that characteristics of neighborhood walkability (including higher street connectivity, more access to places for walking and cycling, and lower mixture of land use) strengthens the positive associations between daily out-of-home mobility and daily working memory performance.Giannouli and colleagues present their project of a mobile app for early detection of mobility impairments.Through two one-week studies, they demonstrate the reliability, validity, and usability of their app as a tool to assess walking speed and life-space mobility of older adults.Finally, Jeffrey A. Kaye will discuss all papers from a healthy aging perspective.

UNDERSTANDING THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACE ON OLDER ADULTS' FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH
Terry Lum 1 , Yuqi Liu 2 , Yingqqi Guo 3 , Shiyu Lu 4 , On Fung Chan 1 , Cheryl Chui 1 , Hung Chak Ho 1 , and Yimeng Song 5 , 1.The University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong,Hong Kong,2. South China University of Technology,Guangzhou,Guangdong,China (People's Republic),3. Hong Kong Baptist University,Hong Kong,Hong Kong,4. City University of Hong Kong,Kowloon,Hong Kong,5. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,Hong Kong,Hong Kong Little is known about how public open space (POS) environment quality and vitality influence older adults' functional ability and mental health over time.POS vitality refers to the capacity of POS to accommodate a variety of users and activities.We undertook a four-year longitudinal survey of 2081 older adults in Hong Kong to investigate longitudinal relationships between POS environment quality, POS vitality, functional ability and mental health.We applied environment quality evaluation and space use behavior observation to collect data on the environment quality and vitality of POSs within the 200-m buffer area of participants' residences.POS environment quality attributes included the number of leisure facility types, accessibility, shade, and bench quality.POS vitality attributes comprised the diversity of users and activities.We used the Chinese Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale to measure older adults' functional ability and the Geriatric Depression Scale (15-item) to evaluate mental health.We applied latent growth curve models to analyze the longitudinal associations.Accessibility to POS and social interactions among users in POS were related to better functional ability and mental health among older adults at baseline.The number of leisure facility types, and social interactions among users in POS led to a slower decline in functional ability over time.However, there were no significant associations between POS and mental health over time.These findings have theoretical implications for the healthy aging research framework and practical insights for planning policies using POS as an intervention tool to facilitate older adults' healthy aging.
Abstract citation ID: igad104.0907Out-of-home mobility could enhance cognitive performance, but environmental contexts -such as neighborhood walkability -may influence the associations.This study examined daily out-of-home mobility in relation to daily cognitive performance in healthy older adults and the moderator effects of neighborhood walkability therein.Participants wore a custom-built mobile GPS sensor ("uTrail") and completed smartphone-based working memory assessments for 15 days, and responded to the baseline Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale.Analyses included 947 days' data from 109 Swiss older adults aged 65 to 89 years.Out-of-home mobility (i.e., out-of-home time, maximum distance from home) were extracted from the GPS data.Multilevel models showed that daily out-of-home time and daily maximum distance from home were not associated with daily working memory performance across the study sample, but the associations were moderated by neighborhood walkability.Out-of-home time and maximum distance from home were positively (vs.negatively) associated with working memory performance in participants who lived in neighborhood with higher (vs.lower) street connectivity and more (vs.less) access to places for walking and cycling.Additionally, maximum distance from home were positively (vs.negatively) associated with working memory performance in participants in neighborhood with lower (vs.higher) mixture of land use.To conclude, spending more time out of home and travelling longer distance away from home could be beneficial for daily cognitive performance of older adults who lived in well-connected and higherwalkable and -bikeable neighborhood.Travelling longer distance could also benefit those who lived in a neighborhood with a lower mixture of land use.

OUT-OF-HOME MOBILITY, DAILY WORKING MEMORY, AND NEIGHBORHOOD WALKABILITY IN HEALTHY OLDER ADULTS
Abstract citation ID: igad104.0908

USABILITY AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE MOBITEC-GP APP FOR REAL-LIFE MOBILITY ASSESSMENT
Eleftheria Giannouli 1 , Eun-Kyeong Kim 2 , Cheng Fu 3 , Robert Weibel 3 , Alexandros Sofios 3 , Arno Schmidt-Trucksäss 4 , Andreas Zeller 4 , and Timo Hinrichs 4 , 1. ETH Zurich,Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland,Luxembourg,Diekirch,Luxembourg,3. University of Zurich,Zurich,Zurich,Switzerland,4. University of Basel,Basel,Switzerland Modern technologies such as the Global Navigation Satellite System and accelerometers which are integrated in every smartphone enable tracking mobility patterns over time, which in turn enables early detection of mobility impairments.Aim of the MOBITEC-GP project was to develop a mobile app which measures walking speed and spatial mobility under everyday conditions.Reliability and validity of the application was tested first (Study 1).The applicability in everyday life and the acceptance by older adults (Study 2) was also investigated.In study 1, participants underwent several supervised walking speed assessments as well as a 1-week life-space assessment during two assessment sessions 9 days apart.Fifty-seven older adults (47.4% male, mean age= 75.3 years) were included in the study.The app showed moderate to excellent test-retest reliability and validity of walking speed measurements of 50 meters and above and of most 1-week life-space parameters, including life-space area, time spent out-of-home, and action range.Study 2 revealed a good usability of the app (mean System Usability Scale score=77.18)among older adults (N=60 with ≥2 chronic conditions) for a 1-week usage of the app including both, a 1-week life space assessment and at least one gait speed measurement in a 30-minute stroll.The MOBITEC-GP app is a reliable, valid and usable tool for the assessment of reallife walking speed (at distances of 50 metres and above) and life-space parameters of older adults.Future studies should look into technical issues more systematically in order to avoid invalid measurements.

MUSICAL THEATER AND MEANING MAKING IN A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY
Chair: James Powers Discussant: Robyn Stone "I think I've had it up to here with pickleball…" Thus begins the first song in "Movin", an original musical written, produced, and performed by members of a continuing care retirement community (CCRC), which addresses themes ranging from dementia, death and widowhood to finding community, purpose, and late-life love.The idea began in informal conversation between two former university colleagues, Philip Sloane (a geriatrician, GSA member, and former CCRC board member) and Hugh Tilson (a CCRC resident, aged 82) about describing the aging experience through song.Hugh gathered a group of fellow CCRC residents, none of whom had professional songwriting or theater experience but several of whom had musical backgrounds or an interest in theater.Meeting regularly over nearly two years, they envisioned, created, and then produced an original musical around the theme of "freshman year in a retirement community."The final production included 9 cast members, 12 original songs developed by five lyricists and two composers, many production-related volunteers, and a narration to link the songs together.This Minxia Luo 1 , Eun-Kyeong Kim 2 , Robert Weibel 1 , Mike Martin 1 , and Christina Roecke 1 , 1. University of Zurich, Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, 2. Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, Luxembourg, Diekirch, Luxembourg